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Silent Running

Special-effects ace Douglas Trumbull (of 2001 fame) turned director with this ecologically based science-fiction thriller about the last of Earth's plant life preserved on the Valley Forge spaceship, lovingly cared for by space ranger Bruce Dern and his three cute "drone" robots. Dern mutinies when orders arrive to destroy the precious cargo. Although the film may seem rather hippy-influenced now - those syrupy Joan Baez ballads! - Trumbull's gentle direction highlights a sensitive performance by Dern, and there are some spectacular images of the spacecraft floating between planets, exploding suns and solar storms. Imaginative and much admired.

Plot Summary

Science-fiction drama starring Bruce Dern. A space station in the year 2001: a team of botanists work on a project to refurbish a devastated Earth. But when, after eight years, they are recalled, one of them resists and enlists the help of special robots to continue the project.